Improvement in fifes



NITED STATES JOHN PFAFF, OF PHILADELPHIA, PENNSYLVANIA.

EMPROVEMENT IN FIFES.

Specification forming part of Letters Pate nt No. i5.2'0, dated November :29, 1864.

To all whom, it may concern.'

Be it known that I, JOHN PFAFF, of Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, have invented an Im` provement in Fifes, Sto. and I do hereby declare the following to be a full, clear, and eX- act description of the same, reference being had to the accompanying drawings, and to the letters of reference marked thereon.

My invention consists in forming a ridge or protuberance at each side of the mouthopening of a fe, the said ridges enabling the performer to readily adjust the instrument to his lips, and to maintain it in its adjusted position without the care and effort required to accomplish the same result with ordinary fes.

In order to enable others skilled in the art to make or use my invention, I will now proceed to describeits construction and operation.

On reference to the accompanying drawings, which form a part of this specification, Figure l is an exterior view of a iife with my improvement; Pig. 2, a section on the line l 2, Fig. 1.

Similar letters refer to similar parts in both views.

In fes and ilutes as heretofore constructed it has been customary to make the surfaces as plain and flee from protuberances as possible, especially at or near the point where y the lips have to be applied to the opening. Itis consequently necessary for the performer,

before applying the instrument to his lips, to look for the opening or to feel for the same with his tongue or lips. In order to obviate the necessity of doing this, I form on each side of the mouth-opening c of the fe A, Fig. 1, an annular ridge or protuberance, b, the distance between the two ridges being such that 1 while they do not interfere with the free movel ment of the lips, they can be felt on each side of i the same, and the exact position of the opening between the ridges can be thus ascertained.

This improvement is especially applicable to fes or other instruments of a like character which have to be played during a march, l the ridges b preventing the instrument from i slipping from its position in front of the mouth when the body of the performer is constantly moving. i I claim as my invention and desire to secure by Letters Patent* i The ridges b, arranged in respect to the mouth-opening a of a fife or other like instrument as and for the purpose specified.

In testimony whereof I have signed my name i to this specitica-tion in the presence of two l subscribing witnesses. l JOH PFAFF.

Yitnesses: i CHARLES E. Fosrnn, g J oHN WHITE. 

